Brain injury is a major but often underestimated public health problem that particularly affects young people, with persistent symptoms and reduced quality of life as a result. The risk of neurodegenerative diseases also rises significantly after a severe traumatic brain injury, but also following repeated concussions in contact sports. In sport, for example, football’s link to an increased risk of dementia has attracted considerable attention.
"We already know that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, increases clearly after brain trauma, and some studies also suggest that the risk of other neurodegenerative diseases such as motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s disease may increase as well," says Niklas Marklund.
The changes seen in the brains of people who have suffered brain trauma or sports-related concussions resemble those found in Alzheimer’s disease, but they are not identical. The exact cause is still unknown, but much suggests that the injury accelerates the processes that can lead, for example, to dementia.
"Unlike spontaneous disease processes, where the course over time is often unclear, brain trauma gives us a unique opportunity to understand how neurodegenerative diseases develop because the starting point of the injury in the brain is known," continues Niklas Marklund.
Today, there is no treatment for these forms of dementia, which is why more research is needed to analyse the mechanisms of injury and investigate whether available drug treatments can counteract them. Through the grant from The ALBORADA Trust, Niklas Marklund and Tadeusz Wieloch plan to explore in greater depth how head trauma triggers long-term neurodegenerative processes and to identify new treatment strategies to prevent dementia after brain injury.
"We are deeply grateful to The ALBORADA Trust for this fantastic support for our research," concludes Tadeusz Wieloch.
